The present invention relates to a toilet bowl water sterilization device and a method thereof, and more specifically to, a toilet bowl water sterilization device and a method thereof which may electrolyze toilet bowl water staying in toilet bowl water tanks or pipes so as to convert the toilet bowl water into electrolyzed water suitable for sterilization and cleaning, and sterilize various kinds of bacteria living in each part of a toilet bowl as well as a toilet bowl water tank by using the electrolyzed water, without using a toilet bowl cleaning agent, such as a chemical substance or a surfactant, thereby providing an environment that is clean and pleasant to the user and that is non-toxic to the human body.
Recently, thanks to advanced industrial technologies, toilet bowls (water closets) have been widely distributed and popularized, and against this backdrop, there has been growing interest in sanitation of the toilet and the bathroom having a toilet bowl.
In general, a toilet bowl has a toilet bowl seat on which the user sits to urinate and defecate, and a toilet bowl seat cover for covering the toilet bowl seat, and has a structure in which the toilet bowl is combined with a toilet bowl water tank for storing toilet bowl water used to clean the toilet bowl after urination and defecation.
Furthermore, since tap water that is not sterilized is used to clean the toilet bowl, numerous bacteria invisible to the naked eyes live in the toilet bowl water tank, and each part of the toilet bowl provides an environment where various bacteria may breed due to urination, defecation and moisture.
In particular, whenever the toilet bowl flushes after urination and defecation, all kinds of pathogenic bacteria spreading seriously contaminate the bathroom and the toilet.
In addition, since a toilet bowl installed in the bathroom or the toilet in houses, or installed in the toilet in public places is used by many people, it is highly likely that the toilet bowl is exposed to various pathogenic bacteria causing a variety of illnesses such as skin inflammation, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract or food poisoning.
To prevent bacterial infection, toilet bowls need to be cleaned on a regular basis and stay clean, and more importantly, toilet bowl water where various bacteria breed needs to be sterilized. In addition, it is important to change toilet bowl water regularly, because bacteria may easily breed in toilet bowl water when toilet bowl water stagnates for a long time.
To clean toilet bowls, toilet bowl cleaning agents are used. They are used by means of a particular device for emitting a certain amount of the toilet bowl cleaning agents, and the device for using the toilet bowl cleaning agents is divided into a submerged type that is put into a toilet bowl water tank, a hung type that is hung directly on a toilet bowl or an attached type that is attached to a toilet bowl, depending on the way that the device is used.
The method of using toilet bowl cleaning agents has a limit in perfectly sterilizing toilet bowl water because a certain amount of the cleaning agents emitted through a nozzle or a pipe through which toilet bowl water passes, at the same time as when the toilet bowl flushes after urination and defecation to sterilize the toilet bowl water, and in this way, the toilet bowl water is not directly sterilized, and only the parts that are contacted are sterilized when the toilet bowl flushes.
Furthermore, as toilet bowl cleaning agents are manufactured with a variety of synthesized chemical substances to improve the ability to sterilize bacteria, in case the body of the user is exposed to the toilet bowl cleaning agents, serious damages such as burns, inflammations or sight loss are caused, and a very unpleasant smell is also caused.
Furthermore, the toilet bowl cleaning agents necessary for being replaced with new ones on a regular basis cause inconvenience and incur additional costs to the user.
Under the circumstances, the present invention is to provide a device and method thereof, wherein toilet bowl water stored in a toilet bowl water tank is electrolyzed by means of electrical electrodes, is converted into electrolyzed water having sterilizing and cleaning abilities to sterilize the toilet bowl water tank, and at the same time, when the toilet bowl flushes, the toilet bowl water tank, the pipe and the toilet bowl may be automatically sterilized.
In the following description, the related arts to which the present invention pertains will be briefly described, and the technical features of the present invention different from those of the related arts will be described.
First of all, Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2011-0131898 relates to a bidet performing a sterilization function by using Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diode (UVLED), wherein the bidet has a plurality of UVLED modules and operates the plurality of UVLED modules to sterilize a toilet seat, the inside of a toilet bowl and cleaning water with ultraviolet rays in particular circumstances (e.g. when a person sits on the toilet bowl), or regularly.
The above-described related art is, in part, similar to the present invention in sterilizing toilet bowl water by using ultraviolet rays, but does not describe or suggest the technical features of the present invention that toilet bowl water stored in a toilet bowl water tank is electrolyzed and converted into electrolyzed water having sterilizing and cleaning abilities to clean and sterilize the toilet bowl water tank and the toilet bowl, thereby providing a clean environment to the user.
Furthermore, Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-0023691 (Mar. 4, 2010) relates to a method for automatically cleaning a bidet and a toilet bowl with a device for cleaning a toilet bowl, wherein the method for automatically cleaning a bidet and a toilet bowl with a device for cleaning a toilet bowl is directed to preventing waste of a cleaning agent, whereby a different amount of a cleaning agent is provide to a toilet bowl depending on the functions of a bidet, a drier or a sterilizer after determining which one of the functions is performed when a sensor for sensing the user sits on a seat senses that the user sits on the seat.
The above-described related art is, in part, similar to the present invention in automatically cleaning a toilet bowl, but different from the present invention in that it needs a cleaning agent separately and as a result, incurs costs of purchasing the cleaning agent, and as such a cleaning agent contains a variety of synthesized chemical substances, in case the skin, eyes or mouth of the user are exposed to the agent, the cleaning agent is very harmful to the human body.
On the contrary, the present invention is effective in that it electrolyzes toilet bowl water by means of electrolysis convert the toilet bowl water into electrolyzed water that causes no harm to the human body, and cleans and sterilizes a toilet bowl water tank and a toilet bowl by using the electrolyzed water having sterilizing and cleaning abilities, thereby preventing bacteria in the toilet and the bathroom from breeding.